


A Little Less Lonely

by vlaplomb



Category: Purple Hyacinth - Ephemerys & Sophism (Webcomic)
Genre: ALLITERATION BITCHES, Crack, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Crack, HAPPY BIRTHDAY LIV I LOVE YOU, Hermann in mention, I don't want to spoil the fun, Kieran is a plot device, NOTHING IS AS IT SEEMS, References to previous fics, That's right, bean time, sorry liv I'm just gonna say the reason this is so chaotic is because you weren't here to proof it, the song Every Breath You Take has an important role but not in the way you think, this started out a lot better than it ended up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-14 19:40:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29051529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vlaplomb/pseuds/vlaplomb
Summary: For LIVVVVVV I love you honey and I hope you've had the best day ever and I can't wait for summertime and band au and many more kywi brainrot/cursed au conversations🍪🍪🍪🍪 For you ma'am༼ つ ◕‿◕ ༽つlove from gulo & me
Relationships: Kym Ladell & Lauren Sinclair, William Hawkes/Kym Ladell
Comments: 2
Kudos: 30





	A Little Less Lonely

**Author's Note:**

  * For [livbean](https://archiveofourown.org/users/livbean/gifts).



> For LIVVVVVV I love you honey and I hope you've had the best day ever and I can't wait for summertime and band au and many more kywi brainrot/cursed au conversations
> 
> 🍪🍪🍪🍪 For you ma'am
> 
> ༼ つ ◕‿◕ ༽つlove from gulo & me

Kym’s apartment was _awfully_ silent for a Valentine’s Day afternoon.

It’s true that evening was often a more desirable time for Valentine’s celebrations - you know, dinner and all - but maybe what made it seem so odd to Kym was that she had a fiance who was _supposed_ to be there.

Will had called maybe half an hour earlier to tell her that he would be just a little bit late to her place. Duty calls, he said (but they both knew), and there was some work at the office that had to be attended to immediately. Curling the telephone cord around her finger, Kym had assured him that was alright and she would just be there waiting for him.

And so half an hour, she was _still_ just sitting on the sofa waiting for him, because they were planning on cooking dinner together - their favorite meal, soupy bean soup. Even though Will assured her that she could feel free to start without him and that he would be along shortly, Kym only had one thing on her mind:

She didn’t know how the hell to cut an onion.

“Lauren, how do you cut an onion?” she yelled frantically into the receiver the moment her friend picked up the phone.

“Doesn’t Will know how? He can show you much better than I can,” Lauren replied, sounding somewhat groggy.

Kym furrowed her brow. “Why do you sound so groggy?”

“You woke me up. Kieran’s Valentine’s gift to me was letting me sleep in all day, we figured we would celebrate his birthday tonight.”

“Ah. Good of him. Sorry, I will let you get back to sleep.” Kym had almost placed the phone back down when she heard Lauren’s voice faintly trailing after her.

“Where...where is Will though?”

“Work,” Kym said bitterly. “Sleep well love you byeeeeee.”

 _Click_. With that, Kym was alone again. Her apartment felt so small some days - so different from Will’s apartment, with its high ceilings and open floor plan - but right then, it felt huge. Flopping back on the couch, Kym tipped her head back just enough to make out the produce littering the counter.

“Forget the onion,” she scoffed, her eyes poring over it all. “I don’t know the first thing to do with _any_ of that.”

Plus, Will knew the recipe. Sure, she had a copy of it, but there was nothing like when Will made it. The dish needed some of his special touch.

 _“It’s not your fault!”_ Kym had assured him over the phone, because he worried about these things, and she knew it to be true. It _wasn’t_ his fault.

It was Hermann’s.

“I bet Hermann has never celebrated a Valentine’s day in his life,” Kym mused, directing her thoughts towards the lamp on the end table. “Who would want to celebrate with a roach like him anyway?”

And that was when the most wonderful idea came to Kym.

So she stood from the sofa for the first time since her call with Will - now more like 45 minutes ago - and strolled over to her typewriter, sock feet thudding the whole way.

She sat down and began to write.

_My dearest, Hugues,_

_I have heard that your name carries a meaning of heart. Whoever named you must be knowledgeable in the meanings of names, because you certainly have captured mine. I admire you from afar every day. Did you know that you have a frequent habit of picking your nose near the window so you can easily flick it onto the street? Because I did. I find every little quirk about you endearing, and I hope you find the fact that I know every single move you make equally touching. After all, to quote the great song by The Police (which I do hope you find amusing as we are the police), “_ _Every breath you take, every move you make, every bond you break, every step you take, I'll be watching you.” And the song goes on, as does my love for you, but I’m certain you don’t need to know every single thing I treasure about you - at least not yet._

_Oh can’t you see, you belong to me...except you don’t yet. Which I would like to change. Will you do me the great honor of meeting me at L’Arlequin tomorrow at 6 in the evening? I apologize that I am only working up the courage to confess this on Valentine’s day, and therefore you won’t be receiving this until too late, but I do hope to see you there._

_I’ll be watching (for) you._

Love,

Your secret admirer <3 XOXO

Kym bit her lip, questioning whether the heart and kisses at the end were too much. _Well, it’s on a typewriter, and I can’t bear to rewrite all of that_. It had taken too much of her creative energy already to write that much. Dusting off her palms needlessly, she folded the note, doodling a heart on the front before tucking it into an envelope.

Harmless. Just enough to send Hermann on a little goose chase just to find he’d been stood up - nothing he didn’t deserve, obviously. Kym chuckled at the thought of someone actually watching Hermann with interest. Who would he think it was?

Outside, the mailbox clanged. “Wait!” she exclaimed, running for the door. She threw it open to come face-to-face with a very startled mailman, his eyes hidden behind his visor.

“I have something,” she said with a huff. “Thank you.”

“Last minute Valentine’s note?” he asked in turn, a smirk growing on his face as he slipped the envelope into his bag.

“I-” Kym stopped, whipping his visor off his head. “ _Kieran._ ”

“I won’t tell Will!”

“It’s _not_ that,” she hissed, dragging him inside by the collar. “What are you doing here?”

“Um, my job?”

Kym laughed mirthlessly. “You have too many jobs.”

“That I do,” he said with a sigh.

“It’s your birthday, though,” she pressed, “so why are you working on your birthday?”

Frowning, he set his bag down on the ground and crossed his arms. “Because I can.”

Rolling her eyes, Kym strode into the kitchen. “Whatever. I can’t let you leave empty-handed, of course.”

“Hm? You don’t need to give me anything-”

“Cupcakes!”

“Okay, I’ll take cupcakes.”

Laughing, Kym pulled the container from the fridge. “They have pink icing. And heart sprinkles. Take some for you and Lauren’s celebration later.”

“The only thing I’m going to be eating later-”

“I literally don’t want to hear it.” Kym shoved a container into his hands. “Here. I made a batch for you guys, but I didn’t think I’d get it to you until tomorrow at work. So this worked out nicely...even though I’m still suspicious.”

“And I’m still suspicious of this note.” He pointed back to his bag again. “But I won’t question further because of the cupcakes.”

“I appreciate it.” Kym pushed him towards the door. “Now go wake Lauren up.”

“A few more hours will do her some good.”

Kym snorted. “Happy birthday, and happy Valentine’s day, archivist boy.”

“You too, Sarge.”

As soon as the door swung shut, Kym was filled with the same loneliness again. She twisted her gold ring on her finger, rubbing at the sapphire stone. The day she moved in with Will would be a good day - then he would always be coming back home.

Falling onto the couch, Kym at least felt the wry excitement of sending Hermann for a loop. Will never had to know - surely he’d feel bad for the man. Kym was pretty much positive that nothing could redeem the captain for throwing a wrench in their Valentine’s plans. He had messed with Lauren, he had yelled at Will too often, but keeping the two of them apart on a special day was the last straw in her mind. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes, resuming her waiting from before - as she was no more ready to deal with the chopping after that.

A mere hour later, a knock sounded at the door.

“Will?” Kym called, jumping up. No one answered. _That’s odd,_ she thought, rushing for the doorway again. “Hello?” She pulled the door open to find Will’s back turned to her.

“Um...Will?”

“Surprise!” he exclaimed, spinning around. It took a moment for Kym to realize, but she tore her gaze from Will’s face to investigate what he was carrying.

Two shining eyes embedded in a bundle of golden fur buried itself in Will’s coat, wriggling with excitement.

“Who are _you?_ ” Kym squealed, reaching out to take the puppy. It leapt into her arms, nuzzling up under her chin. “You got a puppy.”

Will grinned, stepping into the apartment to set his things down. “A golden retriever! For you. For us, eventually.”

“What?” Kym asked blankly as she pet the dog.

“I wanted us to have a dog, but we don’t have a place together yet. So I was thinking he could keep you company.” He ran a hand through his hair. “It’s okay if you’d rather not have him to take care of on top of everything else right now, because of course I could-”

“Are you kidding Will?” Kym booped the dog’s little button nose. “This is going to be my new little buddy.” Maybe the time until the wedding would be a little more bearable with a puppy toddling around.

And Will got him for _them-_ the thought made her heart swell. It was like their own little kid.

He sighed. “I’m glad. I brought food and toys.”

“You did?” Kym laughed. “You think of everything.” She eyed the coat rack with a smirk, wrapping her hand over the dog’s ears. “Finally a respectable use for that leash.”

Will groaned, otherwise ignoring her remark. “Lauren and Kieran each wanted to get him a toy too.” Will bent down to fish something out of his tote. She set the puppy down on the floor to explore, clapping in delight as Will produced a watermelon plush and a stuffed donkey from his stash of supplies.

“The watermelon is from Lauren, and the donkey…” Will sighed, picking it up by the toe. “The donkey is from Kieran, but he said to call it ‘ass’ because it’s fewer syllables for the dog to learn.”

“Of course he did.” Kym cackled, giving it a squeeze. It made a strange honking noise as she did so, and the dog perked up his ears. “So what did you name him?”

“Ass?”

“No!” The dog whipped around to focus on Kym at her outburst. “The dog, idiot.”

“Well, I thought you should name him!” Will loosened his tie, plucking the dog back up off the ground. The pup hadn’t gotten very far at all. “What do you think?”

Kym giggled, leaning her head on the dog in Will’s arms. “I think he looks like an Apricus.”

“A what?”

“Sunshine.”

“I love that.” Will wrapped his free arm around Kym, pulling their new little family into a close embrace. “And you. But since when did you get so familiar with the meaning of names?”

Something about that phrase etched a tingle in Kym’s brain. She narrowed her eyes, staring holes into the floor. And then it came to her.

“Fuck.”

“We still have to make dinner, love.”

“No.” Kym separated from Will and Apricus, gaping at him in horror. “So the story about Hermann making you come in and wrap some things up at work was a lie?”

“Yes, I’m sorry-”

“No, _I’m_ sorry.” Kym took another step backwards, bumping into the kitchen counter. “I… I may have written Hermann a fake letter from a secret lover.”

Will’s eyes widened as he bit back a laugh. “You did not.”

“I need to catch that letter pronto.”

“Wait - this isn’t a joke?”

Kym shook her head, raking her hands through her hair. “I need your help.”

Grimacing, Will clutched the dog more tightly to him. “Not a chance.”

“Will!” She paced around the kitchen, Apricus watching her in interest. “Kieran picked up the letter a little over an hour ago-”

 _“Kieran?_ How many occupations does that man-”

“Yes! Just listen. If we head to the post office now, I bet we can still stop it.”

Will raised his eyebrow with an air of skepticism. “And if I leave, and you leave…what about Apricus?”

Kym’s eyes took on an uncanny glint from the imaginary lightbulb manifesting over her head. “Remember when I carried a watermelon around the office in a BabyBjorn?” He only sighed in acknowledgement, the memory clearly being too much for him to handle. “I still have it. Apricus can ride around on my chest.”

Will pressed his lips together. “Alright then. I guess you know what this means.”

Kym had already dug the child sling out of the cupboard. “Team Soleil is back in business - this time with an added member.”

  
  


***to be read in that weird basic vlog transition** **voice***

**~a few hours later~**

Kym collapsed on the bed, with Will and Apricus quick to follow. “Well, I’ve officially done it,” she said ruefully. “I’ve ruined Valentine’s day.”

“That’s not true!” Will said, sitting up. The dog leapt off his lap, still a bouncing source of energy even after the strange events of the afternoon, and landed with an _oof_ on Kym’s chest. “The night is still young.”

“We just spent an hour running down the mail truck, another trying to explain to the people working at the post office what on earth we were trying to accomplish, and another tracking down Kieran to get him to hand the note over.” She sighed, reaching up to pet Apricus and letting her hand fall. “I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted.”

Kym snorted. “I’m still floored that Kieran had the note on him.”

_“Kym! Will!” he had said upon opening the door to his apartment to the two frowning officers. “Have you come to join in on my party?”_

_“I’m looking for my note,” Kym said quickly, squaring up to him. “What did you do with it?”_

_He had sighed. “Well... I knew it was odd that you were writing a note to Hermann...so I opened it.” Kym swiped her hands over her face. “But I’m glad I did! Because do you realize who he would have thought it was from?”_

_“Whom?” Kym asked drily._

_“Me!”_

_If Will had been drinking anything, he most certainly would have spat it out, because of all things he had been expecting to hear on Valentine’s day, that was not one of them. However, Kym wasn’t in any better of a position to continue the conversation, as she was doubled over into the doorframe, wheezing. “Why?” he sputtered out._

_“Hermann has taken a certain...liking to me.”_

_“I’ve seen enough,” Kym choked out, patting Apricus’s bouncing head absentmindedly. “Beam me up, Scotty.”_

“What can I say? Kieran is smart.” Will took her hand, nestling his face into her shoulder. “Just like you.”

She laughed, her eyes drifting over to the clock on her nightstand. Only 9 - it felt like 2 am. “You’re sweet, but I’ve done my fair share of dumb things... _today alone_.”

“I really appreciate you trying to send Hermann for a loop for me,” Will noted.

“I almost didn’t want to stop the letter.” Yawning, Kym rolled over, latching onto his arm. “Maybe some other day. You know I’d fight for you.”

“I know. You’ve done it before.” A moment of silence passed between them, leaving them reaching for words to suppress some memories that they didn’t want to resurface. Life hadn’t always been kind to the both of them - but Kym was grateful that it had eventually brought them together.

“What would I do without you?” she said suddenly.

Will huffed and glanced down at her. “Probably die of starvation.”

Kym laughed ruefully, squeezing Will’s arm. “That’s probably true.”

“No smart remark from Kym Ladell? Wow.”

“You know what? Let’s get some sleep.”

“That sounds wonderful.” Without bothering to turn the lamp at her bedside off, Kym adjusted her pillow, curling up around Apricus. The poor dog was already snoring, finally showing some signs of exhaustion after having been dragged around Ardhalis all day. Will wrapped his arms around the two loves of his life, pressing a kiss into Kym’s blue crown of hair. Without any more delays, the new little family of three drifted off into a slumber.

But obviously not a very _deep_ slumber, as Kym found herself lying awake a mere five hours later, eyes wide open. She caught a glimpse of the clock (an: liiiiivvvvv stoooopp). She was just in time for bean time.

“Are you awake?” she breathed, just enough to be heard, but not enough to wake Will up if his answer was no.

A moment passed. “Yes.”

Kym adjusted her position, nestling further into Will’s arms. “Want to do something?”

“Sure.”

And so that was how Kym ended up dragging a very sleepy dog out of bed so it could go play with its ass while she received a lesson on how to cut onions from her doting almost-husband at midnight.

**Author's Note:**

> all of y'all horn knees were thinking this was going to get spicy but unfortunately I ran out of brain juice ｡:ﾟ(;´∩`;)ﾟ:｡
> 
> ONE LAST HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO LIV


End file.
